


As a Blade

by Callaeidae3



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Blade of Marmora Keith (Voltron), Gen, Suicidal Thoughts, s04 e6: A New Defender
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2019-04-21 11:55:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14284395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Callaeidae3/pseuds/Callaeidae3
Summary: Some may say Keith's attempt to break through the battle cruiser's particle barrier by ramming his own ship into it was in vain, but Keith saw it differently: he believed his ship may be able to pass through the barrier, allowing him to crash it into the weapon Haggar was charging. Naxzela had turned into a bomb and it was about to be detonated any second. It was the only thing he could think of that might be able to prevent the obliteration of an entire quadrant.This is the first fanfiction I ever wrote.





	As a Blade

“Follow my lead! We’ve got to break through that shield-”

Keith gritted his teeth as a beam of purple-tinged energy surged past his left. Alarms blared. The ship’s left wing crackled with electricity before stabilising again, and as Keith righted himself in the pilot’s seat he was confronted with a more alarming sight.

Behind the massive particle barrier shielding the battle cruiser before him, the weapon attached to its bow had begun glowing. The colour of the energy building there grew more vibrant by the second. It was charging for fire and in a matter of a few seconds it would reach full capacity.

Full capacity to detonate the planet-turned-bomb Naxzela.

From Voltron’s intercom systems, Keith heard Lance’s cry of frustration. They weren’t going to make it on time. A flicker of desperation stirred in the pit of his stomach. They _had_ to make it, else they’d lose all hope of ever liberating the universe from Zarkon’s forces. Voltron had to win this battle. This was no other option –

Matt appeared on the screen in front of him, his voice terse. “We’re never going to penetrate those shields.”

_Not with laser beams, no._

Keith’s eyes were stretched wide as he surveyed the scene in front of him. He was in a Galra ship. If the particle barrier let its own ships of sentries out, then maybe he’d be able to get in. Then he could ram his ship at the source of the generating power. It might cost him his life but if it staggered Haggar’s magic, even just enough for Voltron to get the upper-hand in the situation, he had to give it a shot.

Keith’s heart hammered inside his chest. There was a way.

Keith narrowed his eyes and looked down at Matt’s projection. “Maybe not without weapons.”

It was like jumping off a rock face when he shoved the control sticks forward. The adrenaline of that moment hanging suspended above the river or lake before gravity caught and you plunged into the water below. He’d already jumped past the threshold of his own mind now. He was committed; there was no turning back.

The comms were quiet. They didn’t seem to realise what he was doing, yet. Good. Keith couldn’t bear to hear any kind of fear in Shiro’s voice right now. In fact, not even anybody’s. It had been frustrating enough with Coran shouting him for him to break off his fight with Zarkon that time. Sure, Zarkon had turned out to be a whole lot more dangerous that he’d anticipated. Coran’s advice hadn’t been misplaced.

“Wait, Keith. What are you doing?” Matt had caught onto his intentions. “Keith, no!”

Keith ignored him. He was a Blade now; he had a mission. That mission did not involve sitting around _watching_ while the quandrant around him came to its doom and exploded into ruin, especially not when there was a chance he could stop it. It was a risky chance and a fatal one, but he had to take it. If no one stopped Naxzela’s detonation now, they’d all be dead anyway.

Victory or death.

A few seconds from the shield and from impact, Keith screwed his eyes shut and braced himself for death.

A brilliant flash illuminated his face. Startled, Keith opened his eyes. His heart skipped a beat.

The battle cruiser’s particle barrier had become a wall of billowing flames.

Keith jerked the control sticks with a gasp. The ship shot upwards, throttling as fast away from the outward-rolling fire as Keith could make it. As he piloted the ship out of the explosion’s reach, he noticed the glowing charge coming from the battle cruiser dissipating.

“Naxzela is returning to normal,” Coran reported from the Castle. “You did it!”

Shiro came in again on Keith’s comms. “Good work, Keith.”

“It wasn’t me,” he said. Hearing multiple exclamations of confusion, he clarified, voice wavering in disbelief. “It was Lotor. The cannon on his ship was the only thing powerful enough to take down that shield.”

The battle cruiser slipped into hyper-drive not long after he finished speaking. Keith’s heartbeat was unsteady. The threat he’d been willing to sacrifice himself to eliminate had just _fled._ All that was in front of him now was empty space and debri. All because of…

Lotor.

Keith’s mind reeled from adrenaline and shock as the Galra prince addressed Voltron and the rebel fighters present. It stunned him to know that he’d be dead if it hadn’t been for Lotor’s interception. _Who knows,_ Keith thought, running the idea through his head that his plan may not have had any effect. _I may have killed myself for nothing._

“…we’ve had our differences in the past, but I think it is time we had a discussion.”

What on earth did Lotor have to gain from working with Voltron and the coalition? Hadn’t he been running his own show, even in the wake of Zarkon giving orders to the Galra Empire to rid the universe of his son?

Keith wondered how Allura – in fact, how everyone would handle this. Unsure of whether or not Kolivan had received Lotor’s message back on Senfama, he brought his ship around slowly, ready to head back to the base of the Zaiforge cannon they’d just acquired. He contemplated waiting around to see Voltron’s reaction to Lotor’s suggestion of collaboration, then thought again. If he stayed around for that, he’d be also giving them time to voice their opinions on _him._ Once Voltron learned exactly what idea Keith had been set on…

_Lotor probably isn’t the only one who thinks it’s high time for a discussion._

No doubt the team would want to have a word when they next saw him. But right now, they had Lotor to deal with. That was a much bigger issue. Besides, Voltron didn’t need him anymore. Six paladins was one too many and he was already involved in a number of missions with the Blades. Shiro had made it clear that he had to choose one or the other, not both: being both a paladin and a Blade only worked to compromise the efforts of the team. Keith didn’t want to cause them any further trouble.

It was an excuse, really. Though his work with the Blade of Marmora was of great importance, the people he’d walked away from weren’t just his teammates or the paladins of the other lions – they were his _friends_. But Keith didn’t want to have to face leaving them a second time.

**Author's Note:**

> The intensity of this scene was crazy! It really had me on edge. Since there was no mention of it in Season 5, I wonder if we'll see the paladin's response to Keith's suicidal plan when the team eventually reunite? Many people think that Keith's ship wouldn't be able to penetrate the shield, but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have gone through with it unless he saw some possibility of it working. I'm super glad Lotor arrived before we could find out whether or not his plan would've succeeded, though. Phew...
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading! I hope you liked it!


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